Garden tool



Feb. 19, 1957 c. WILLIAMS GARDEN TOOL Filed Oct. 12, 1953 Chester L Williams INVENTOR.

United States Patent Office 2,781,711 Patented Feb. 19, 1957 GARDEN TOOL Chester L. Williams, Troy, N. Y., assignor of fifty percent to Vella A. Barna, Troy, N. Y.

Application October 12, 1953, Serial No. 385,381

1 Claim. (Cl. 97-66) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in garden tools of the trowel type, and has for its primary object to provide a pivoted blade at the lower end of the handle of the tool to bring a selected edge of the blade into use in accordance with the various types of work to be performed by the tool.

An important object of the invention is to provide a tool of this character having an elongated blade with means for locking the blade in either a longitudinal or transverse position with respect to the handle to improve effectiveness of the tool in performing various types of work.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of this character of simple and practical construction, which is strong and durable, relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure l is a front elevational view showing the blade of the tool in a longitudinally extended position;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view;

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a front elevational View showing the blade reversed; and

Figure 6 is a front elevational view showing the blade secured in a transverse position with respect to the handle.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a substantially triangular-shaped blade of arcuate shape in cross-section and pivoted at its center to the lower end of a handle 6 by means of a rivet or the like 7 and with the convexed portion of the blade positioned at the back or against the handle while the concaved portion of the blade faces forwardly.

A substantially U-shaped slide 8 is mounted on the handle 6 for vertical sliding movement, and a guard bar 9 is positioned transversely in front of the handle and bridges the end portions 10 of the slide 8 and is welded or otherwise suitably secured thereto to hold the slide in position on the handle. The front of the handle is flat, as shown at 11, and against which the guard 9 slides to prevent turning of the slide thereon.

An inverted L-shaped bracket 12 is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the underside of the guard bar 9 and extends downwardly in front of the blade 5 and is provided with a set screw 13 which is threaded rearwardly in the bracket to engage the front of the blade 5 to lock the blade from turning on the rivet 7.

One end of blade 5 is formed with beveled cutting teeth 14 and one longitudinal edge of the blade is formed with a notch 15.

By releasing the set screw 13 and moving the slide 8 upwardly on the handle 6, the blade is free to swing to position the blade either longitudinally on the handle, as shown in Figures 1 and 5 of the drawing, and with either end of the blade lowermost, or the blade may be positioned transversely of the handle, as shown in Figure 6. The blade is locked in its longitudinally extended position by sliding the slide 8 downwardly and locking the blade by tightening the set screw 13, and the blade is secured in its transverse position by sliding the slide 8 downwardly and engaging the bracket 12 in the notch 15.

When the blade is secured in position with the teeth 14 positioned lowermost, the tool may be used for digging small roots or chopping sod, or for other purposes, and when the blade is secured in a reverse position with the smooth end thereof lowermost, the tool may be used as a trowel or the like.

When the blade is secured in a transverse position, as shown in Figure 6 of the drawing, the tool may be used for shoveling dirt.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A garden tool comprising a handle, a blade pivoted at its central portion on the handle for swinging a selected edge portion ofthe blade into working position at the lower end of the handle, a U-shaped slide on the handle, a guard bar bridging the end portions of the slide, an inverted L-shaped bracket secured to the guard bar, in spaced relation with respect to the handle and behind which the blade is swingable, and a set screw carried by the bracket in a position for engaging the front surface of the blade to secure the blade in swingably adjusted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 157,102 Patterson Nov. 24, 1874 562,926 Sharpington June 30, 1896 1,211,655 Adams Jan. 9, 1917 2,015,517 Fransson Sept 24, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 212,223 Germany July 26, 1909 75,373 Switzerland Oct. 16, 1917 271,713 Italy Feb. 17, 1930 

